Is bj-league commissioner Toshimitsu Kawachi the closest thing to the legendary Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis in Japanese basketball?

Well, for starters, both have a rebel streak in them.

Davis served in numerous leadership capacities, including as commissioner of the upstart AFL. He played a huge role in the merger, forcing it to happen you could suggest.

There's no merger yet in Japanese basketball, but ToshimitsuKawachi has changed the course of history for Japanese basketball during his tenure as commissioner of the upstart bj-league, now with 19 teams to the old-guard JBL's eight.

If Kawachi and his inner circle are able to convince -- or raid -- the JBL teams of their top Japanese talent, the bj-league could become more relevant. It might be the best move they could make, in fact.

If Yuta Tabuse had signed with the Tokyo Apache or another bj-league club in 2008 instead of not rocking the boat and signing with the Link TochigiBrex, Kawachi's Davis-esque image would've grown.

Indeed, Al Davis' passing at age 82 on Saturday reminds us of his long-established method of doing things his own way. He was an icon in American football. but was never afraid to take risks.

Kawachi, former Japan national team coach, TV commentator and NiigataAlbirex GM, knows a things or two about breaking away from the status quo. The six-team bj-league circa 2005-06 is now an entirely different entity. It matters more and more each year. Just ask fans of all the new teams that have entered the league since then, or the journalists who cover the sport, or the sponsors who have attached their identities in various ways to all these teams.

I think it's time for him to play hard ball with the Japan Basketball Association and JBL and fight harder for real recognition, a common draft between the leagues, competitions, more air time on TV, etc. Using those tactics as his M.O., Al Davis would've approved -- of that, I'm certain.

According to the latest numbers, there are 3 unbeaten teams in the NFL after three weeks. That's 32 teams we're talking about.

Twenty-nine NFL clubs have already lost at least once. Wow.

Would this kind of parity be good for the bj-league? And if so, how should the league go about aiming to have this kind of parity? I'm curious to examine this issue in greater detail in the coming months.

Last season, there were 11 of 16 teams with 20 or more losses (in a planned 52-game season). After the March 11, earthquake, three teams -- Sendai 89ers, Tokyo Apache and Saitama Broncos -- stopped playing, which made the remaining portion of the schedule a bit wacky.

Has rapid expansion -- from six teams in 2005 to 19 for this season (actually 20 if you count the Tokyo Apache, the league's first long-term disappearing act/on-hiatus/quasi-permanent departure) -- led to a guaranteed amount of parity? Or is it simply growing pains? Or both?

Whatever you want to call it, there are three teams entering this season that have won championships in the league's six years of existence:

So, therefore, there are 16 other franchises in the fight for that coveted first championship.

That's a good thing.

But does it really mean all teams have a 1 in 19 chance of grabbing the winner's trophy?

Opening day rosters, and rosters after New Year's Day, Valentine's Day and the signing and trade deadlines in the early spring, will go a long way in determining who has the pieces in place to be major contender this season.